Widening the Net – Expand Your Digital Presence as an SME

26

Feb, 2019

With the rapid increase in online searches and internet shopping in the last few years, having a strong online presence and utilising a range of lead generation services is no longer optional for SMEs. In most cases, a business’s digital presence is closely linked to how well it performs overall. Digital marketing has become the primary marketing tool for nearly all businesses.

Photo by Anastasia Palagutina on Unsplash

Digital marketing can be difficult, especially for small and medium-sized businesses with lots of competitors. However, it is possible to expand your online presence and reach a wider audience. Here are five ways to improve your digital marketing strategy:

Utilise social media.

Many SMEs are used to conducting customer service over the phone or at a desk, but social media is now a popular and easy way to interact with your audience. Lots of customers prefer getting in touch with a business through Facebook or Twitter, and social media allows you to strengthen your brand and build an identity for your business.

People love seeing companies with strong personalities on social media. You can use social media to respond to customer feedback or to advertise a new product, deal, or event. It’s important to stay active and consistent on social media, though. Customers won’t follow an account that hasn’t posted in years or that only posts once every few months.

Strengthen your local SEO.

Local SEO is one of the best ways for SMEs to strengthen their online presence. Local search becomes more common each year, and a large percentage of customers Google a local business before deciding to visit. One-third of all mobile searches include a location, so optimising for local search will help you reach more potential customers.

Your first step in optimising for local SEO is to claim and fill out your Google My Business profile. The more information you can provide to potential customers, the more likely they’ll be to call or visit your business. You should also include local keywords, such as your city, county, or neighborhood, in your website content.

Another way to rank better in local searches is to increase your NAP mentions. NAP stands for name, address, and phone number. The more times your company’s NAP information is listed on the web, the higher you’ll rank. You can include this information on your website and list it on local directories.

Be mobile.

Having a mobile presence is now an essential part of any company’s marketing strategy. The majority of Google searches come from mobile devices, and Google’s algorithm uses the mobile version of a site to determine its ranking. Your website should be optimised for mobile devices, so you can improve your visitors’ user experience and rank better in search results.

You should also consider offering your products or services through your mobile site or through an app. For example, restaurants can offer delivery through apps like Menulog, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo. Retailers can list their products on online marketplaces like Etsy or Shopify, so customers can make purchases directly from their phones.

Create content.

Content creation is a great way to expand your audience and attract more customers. If people see a photo, video, or blog post they like, they may share it on social media. Then, their followers will see your content, which may lead to them visiting your site.

Content creation can also help with SEO, which will strengthen your overall digital presence. Blog posts provide an opportunity to use keywords related to your products or your location. If you create helpful images, infographics, or videos, other site creators may share them along with a link to your site. This is one of the best ways to boost your search rankings.

Study your competition.

Most SMEs have plenty of competition. If you want to beat your competitors, you need to understand them. You should study their online marketing strategies, their keywords, and their social media presence to learn what works best for them. Then, you can use similar strategies to improve your online presence and surpass your competition.

If you’re not sure where to start when observing your competition, you can use a competitor research tool like SpyFu or SEMrush. These services will show you your competitor’s search engine ranking history, the keywords they rank for, and how many organic clicks they receive.

As an SME, you’re likely always looking for ways to expand your audience and beat your competition. The internet allows you to reach a wide variety of potential customers, and utilising this resource is one of the best ways to increase sales. Using digital marketing to establish a social media presence, create engaging and shareable content, and optimise your site for mobile use, you can attract more customers and build a stronger brand.